The Nature of Chemistry
by aquaXtreme
Summary: Chemistry; the natural and delicate emotional interactions between people. With the complicated relationships around the castle, Merlin resorts to Cupid for help. Except that it creates more trouble than anything else. ArMor
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey guys!_**

**_I've been dying to write a Merlin fic since forever but I've been exercising the use of procrastination. With the season 4 finale (which was pretty awesome!) finished, I thought might as well and wrote this little thing. _**

**_I hope you'll enjoy it ;) xx_**

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><p>Merlin yelped in surprise as he quickly ducked to avoid another (rather <em>pointy<em>) arrow from being embedded into his skull. He glared at the grinning man in front of him.

"Quit doing that!"

Cupid laughed at his indignant tone, adjusting the strap of his quiver across his broad chest.

"Come now, Merlin! It's all in the name of fun."

"What, killing me?"

"No. My arrows are not meant to harm but simply to create a physical and emotional attraction between two creatures, both mortal and immortal. And for my entertainment," The brown haired man added as an afterthought. He sighed as he caught his visitor eyeing him warily. "I will not hurt you, my friend."

"You promise?"

The god of love rolled his eyes in exasperation but, nevertheless, nodded.

"Now, what is it you wanted my help with again?"

Merlin regarded him suspiciously as he approached the man slowly, leaving the safety of the arched doorway.

"I need you to sort everything out in the castle of Camelot," He began, "as in the...romantic side of it all."

"Well, you've come to the right person for that task." The immortal being smiled easily as he took a seat in a nearby armchair. He gestured for Merlin to sit on the sofa across from him, quietly laughing to himself as the sorcerer cautiously did so.

"You see, in the castle, everyone's feelings seem to be so...messed up and all over the place that it's beginning to disrupt the peace...not that Camelot had any in the first place," Merlin smiled wryly to himself at the thought of Camelot ever being free from the terror of mythical monsters.

The man nodded slowly, leaning forward to in a sign of interest.

"Tell me about some of the people being effected."

Merlin nearly laughed out loud at the prospect of telling him everything in detail which, he was certain, would take days at the very least.

"If you insist."

"Cup of ambrosia?"

"No thanks."

"Very well. Begin."

"Well, at the heart of everything, there's Arthur."

"Prince of Camelot?"

"The royal prat, himself. At the beginning, it was plain to everyone but Arthur that he was in love with his father's ward, the Lady Morgana."

"And did she return these feelings?"

"Pretty much. Except that they were sometimes viewed as siblings by visiting dignitaries which put a slightly awkward strain on it all."

"So they never started a relationship?"

"Every time we thought that they were close to doing so, they'd start arguing and yelling at each other, swearing and insulting the other until they were both red in the face. And then, it starts getting difficult," Merlin watched as curiosity lighted the man's face though he tried not to show it. The servant hid a knowing smile. "The two started drifting apart and, in that time, Arthur managed to convince himself that he was starting to feel an attraction towards Guinevere."

"Guinevere? Who is she? Another lady at court?"

"You're going to love this," The sorcerer snickered, distantly acknowledging the fact that he was starting to enjoy telling a stranger all this. "Gwen is Morgana's handmaiden."

"No!"

"Uh huh. Then Gwen started falling in love with the prince too before Arthur realised that he still had feelings for Morgana. By then, he was stuck in the middle between the two women."

The god smiled widely at the servant.

"Is that it? I can easily fix th-"

"Nope. It gets a whole lot more complicated."

His smile faltered.

"A new knight had entered the court of Camelot and Gwen immediately caught his eye. A few charming and coincidentally placed meetings later and they were both in love with each other."

"But...this Gwen person is in love with the prince...isn't she?"

"She is. But she's also in love with Lancelot. Then, there's Gwaine, another knight of Camelot. Both he and the Lady Morgana are-"

"In love with each other?"

Merlin snorted.

"No. But, because they're both extremely attractive, there's this...chemistry between them that flows so easily that Arthur's always left fuming with jealousy."

"Please tell me that's that. I'm getting a headache just listening to you talk about it."

"Try living in the midst of it all. In the end, no one truly knows who they love."

"And what about you?"

"Sorry?"

"Are you in love with anyone? Vying for a certain lady's affections?"

Merlin winced as his heart squirmed at the thought of Freya. He was certain that there had been something between them...something more than just friendship. But, he couldn't do anything about that now. She was gone.

"No. No one."

"Or a certain man's... I'm not one to judge. Like, say, the prince?"

Merlin's face screwed up and he shuddered at the implications of the statement.

"No! My relationship with the Arthur is strictly platonic...and friendship-y."

"Thank God you're not in love with him as well. I'm surprised these Gwaine and Lancelot fellows aren't infatuated with the prince too! You know, I've got to meet him soon and see how exactly he's managing to make everyone love him if he's a prat like you keep saying."

"It's the royal factor for some. For others, it's the chivalric nature. And then, there's the looks-"

The immortal man blinked.

"Are you sure you're not in love with Arthur?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Just checking."

"So, will you help me?"

Cupid grinned at the request, shouldering his quiver on and picking up his infamous, troublesome bow.

"Of course I will. Haven't you heard? I'm a sucker for love stories. Especially those in which I can meddle in."

"Great!"

"But you have to understand that my arrows come with a price," Cupid warned, his tone suddenly grave. "When my arrow hits somebody, they have to fall in love with the first person, or beast, they see. I cannot change or correct that as my arrows do not work on the same person twice. Not only doesn't it work, it's dangerous."

"Dangerous? How come?"

"My arrows are extremely powerful devices that can increase the chemistry or create an attraction between two creatures. Being hit with that much power twice will turn love into jealousy and hatred towards anyone who so much as talks to the person they are infatuated with. That will then lead to obsession and possessiveness and it will keep on mutating until it becomes impossible to tell that they were hit with love in the first place," Cupid stated, staring at the sorcerer's solemn face. "Do you understand?"

When Merlin slowly nodded, a wide grin immediately found its way back onto the mythical being's face.

"Alright then! Onwards to Camelot, my friend."

Merlin smiled but couldn't help feeling the smallest twinge of doubt buried deep within the recesses of his mind.

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><p><strong><em>So? What do you guys think of it so far? I'm hoping that it's going to be a positive reaction ;)<em>**

**_I'll try and update regularly because I'm quite interested in how this story's going to go too but life can get in the way and...well, you know._**

**_P.S Did anyone else feel that the confrontation moment between Arthur and Morgana was too short? And the battle between Gwen and Morgana. With 10-15 extra minutes added onto the the finale, I really think that those scenes could've been a whole lot better along with the siege of the castle. But it was still pretty cool. Can't wait for next season to see what happens with Aithusa and Morgana!_**

**_Thanks, guys! _**


	2. Chapter 2

Cupid walked silently and stealthily around the castle's halls, dressed in servants' garments having been forewarned about the king's attitude towards magic and magical beings. Cupid, being made of magic, wisely chose to stay out of the way. The boy, Merlin, had quickly run off, claiming that he had a job to get to otherwise he'd be thrown in the stocks causing the god of love to almost wish that he'd be able to stay long enough to see that. He'd voiced that opinion out loud and laughed as Merlin had shot him a dirty look before disappearing up a spiral staircase leaving Cupid to explore the castle by himself.

Cupid peeked his head inside a room, groaning when he realised it was empty. Where was everybody? This was quickly getting boring. Suddenly, the sound of sharp footsteps echoed along the corridor, alerting the god to somebody's presence.

"Uther! You can't execute him!"

"I'm the king, I can do what I like."

"Father!"

Cupid widened his eyes, cursing as he found no place to hide. Impulsively, wings started forming on his back, lifting him higher and higher until he was looking vertically down towards the floor from the ceiling. He was sure nobody would think to look up; nobody ever did. He was safe for now.

Cupid watched curiously as three figures approached his eyesight; two male and one female. Judging by the extravagant crown on the older man's head, he guessed that he was the king, causing the younger man to be his son unless everyone went around the castle calling the king their 'father'. With one glance at the luxurious dress the woman was wearing, he placed her as Morgana, the king's ward. And he quickly understood why the prince found her attractive.

"Uther please," the woman pleaded, swerving around to block the king's path, "please, please, please free this man. I can assure you that he has done no wrong!"

Uther's eyes softened momentarily as he watched his beloved ward, her own eyes filled with worry. However, it lasted for only one moment.

"Can you present me any evidence that he is not a sorcerer?"

Morgana hesitated.

"No bu-"

"Then he has done wrong. He has committed a crime against Camelot by practising magic when he full well knows our laws about that here," He spat viciously before marching past her and down the hallway. Morgana shot one fearful look towards Arthur before rushing after her guardian.

"Sire, please! He cannot help who he is!"

The only response she got was the sound of a door slamming behind the king. She stared breathlessly after him, hating herself for not having stopped another execution. She felt Arthur come up behind her.

"I'm sorry, Morgana."

She sighed longingly, turning around to face the prince.

"I know."

And she slowly walked back the way she'd come. Arthur watched her as she left but made no move to follow her.

Cupid grinned. He saw what the servant boy had meant by their love being obvious to everyone but themselves. They had...a passion, chemistry, between them that literally sparked and flared whenever they were near each other. Cupid couldn't help thinking that it was a wonder that they hadn't been scorched already. If their attraction was this intense, what would their feelings for the others be like?

He quickly followed the prince from the ceiling, watching as he interacted curtly with passing servants and nobles. Except, he seemed to suddenly stop halfway down the steps to the courtyard, frozen. Cupid frowned and leaned forward in order to get a better view. He saw another woman, a servant, at the bottom of the steps, talking animatedly with a knight. He saw Arthur's eyes narrow with jealousy and his fists clench and unclench repeatedly. It became obvious that she was the other object of the prince's affections; Guinevere or, as Merlin had called her, Gwen. Cupid guessed that the knight she was talking to was either Gwaine or Lancelot.

"Probably the latter, given Arthur's current state of jealousy," Cupid whispered to himself, becoming more and more intrigued with the intricacies of everyone's feelings. He had never actually witnessed a love triangle (or, in this case, a pentagon) this complicated.

Gwen suddenly noticed the prince standing solemnly on top of the stairs, her smile quickly fading from her face. Lancelot looked up too and watched as his love ran towards him, his heart hammering away in protest. He'd often come to the conclusion that he should just move on and let Arthur be with Gwen. He knew he could easily fall in love with another woman and make her do the same and, this time, it wouldn't be a perplexing relationship. He would be saved a whole lot of trouble. But Lancelot always managed to reach the same dead end everytime; Guinevere was worth all the trouble.

Cupid watched as the knight walked away dejectedly though his chin was raised and his shoulders held back in an effort to disguise his true feelings. The people in this castle were starting to get on the god's nerves.

"Sire, are you alright?" Gwen asked as she curtsied deeply for the prince. He regarded her with cold eyes before a small smile crept onto his face.

"I'm fine, Gwen. How about you?"

"I'm good."

Cupid rolled his eyes at the awkward interaction, a vast difference from the easy one the woman had been having with the knight. He could see what the prince saw in the maid; she had a soft and subtle beauty throughout her features whereas the Lady Morgana's had been sharp and breathtakingly obvious. He understood Arthur's internal conflict and the difficulty with his choice but he couldn't help feeling that Gwen acted better around the knight.

After a thoroughly awkward and hurried conversation, Arthur excused himself and left for the stables as Gwen followed the prince with a wistful gaze before abruptly disappearing into the castle walls.

The god of love made to follow her when something suddenly caught his eyes from above the courtyard. A twitch of the curtains. He smirked as he realised the Lady Morgana had been watching the whole scene from above.

"It just gets more and more interesting with every passing minute..."

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><p><strong><em>I'm glad to see that some people do like this story, having subscribed and alerted and blah, blah, blah. <em>**

**_Can I just ask, does anyone know when season 5 is coming out next year? It seems an awful long time away with Doctor Who gone too :(_**

**_Until later, folks!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hey, guys! Well, I'm hoping that you guys like this story so far from the alerts and favourites I've gotten etc so I'm not giving up hope yet :)_**

**_Chapter 3, enjoy! May seem a bit filler-ish right now but it's important!_**

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><p>Merlin poked his head quietly into each and every chamber as he ran along the castle's halls, searching for his mythical companion. He began to wonder whether Cupid had already done his work or if he had yet to influence people with those troublesome arrows of his.<p>

He hurried down to the courtyard to check if Cupid could be located there but saw no one except a small group of knights laughing together, Lancelot included. And with one look at Lancelot, Merlin immediately felt a pang of guilt for thinking that he could mess with anyone's emotions, much less people who trusted him dearly.

Except...he had to do it. For his friends. He couldn't just stand by and watch while they suffered from broken hearts when he could be doing something to help them. Merlin watched the knights interact humorously, watched as Lancelot spotted him and waved before turning back and he made up his mind.

He and Cupid were going to interfere for the sake of their hearts.

"Psst."

Merlin suddenly jumped as he looked around him frowning, searching for the origin of the noise.

"Psst!"

"...Hello?"

"Down here, dimwit!"

Merlin surreptitiously looked down before glaring at the winged man, hiding behind a pile of stacked barrels. He quickly made his way over, faking an interest in the wood as he did so.

"Can I just say that your friends are messed up."

"They are not messed up! Just...complicated."

Cupid snorted unbelievingly.

"Please. Your so called 'chivalrous' prince is in love with his father's ward and her handmaiden who, in turn, is also in love with a knight whilst another knight may have an attraction towards the Lady Morgana."

"Well...when you put it like that..."

"Even the whole Trojan War incident wasn't as bad as this!"

"The what?"

Cupid sighed.

"Nevermind, Kid. It's a good thing you called me here though. Your friends are practically begging me to come and help their love lives."

"About that...will they be under a spell forever...or what?"

Cupid looked around him for signs of other people and, when he saw none, he beckoned the wizard to come closer.

"When my arrows hit a person, feelings of love manifest within them which are then directed at another person. Because your friends are already in love, then nothing will change except that their love will be for one person only."

Merlin nodded in understanding.

"But...how are you going to decide who loves who? Can we even decide that?"

"I'm the God of Love, Kid. Leave it all to me."

"I don't know..."

Cupid rolled his eyes as he flicked Merlin on his forehead causing the man to recoil as he clutched his head.

"Ow!"

"Merlin?" The wizard turned around at the sound of his name and smiled widely as Lancelot made his way over. "What are you doing?"

"I'll see you later, Kid. And don't worry about your friends. They're in good hands..." Cupid chuckled before vanishing into thin air, leaving behind a faint smell of melted chocolate. Merlin blinked at his sudden disappearance.

"Merlin? Are you alrig-" Lancelot stopped and began sniffing the air as a small smile made its way onto his face. "That smells amazing! I wonder if its for the feast tonight...God, I hope so! It's making me hungry already," He laughed and clapped Merlin on the back before walking inside the castle, occasionally sniffing the air as he did so. The sorcerer watched him leave, unconsciously rolling his shoulder to ease the uncomfortable pain.

"Merlin!"

Gwen rushed up to him, strands of her hair falling out of her loose ponytail from her running.

"Gwen, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. But the cook's requesting any and every available servant to come down to the kitchens to help bring the food up for the feast," She explained, hurriedly tying her hair back into place in a distracted manner. "Apparently, the kitchens are busier than usual."

"I'll be there soon."

"Great. Thanks!" Guinevere called over her shoulder as she too made her way inside the castle.

"Feast?"

Merlin jumped, startled by the voice before whirling around and coming face to face with Cupid once again.

"You've got to stop doing that."

The god of love merely ignored him.

"There's a feast on tonight?"

The sorcerer nodded only to be taken aback by the rather disturbing grin on the other man's face.

"Fantastic!"

"How come?"

"Don't you see?" Cupid announced gleefully. "Chaos always takes place in feasts and banquets anyway because of the extra amounts of alcohol put out. If I start my work there, then your friends can just blame the wine they drank instead of questioning everything and thinking and blah, blah, blah."

Merlin winced as he fidgeted with his scarf.

"I'm not sure..."

"Do you want me to help or not?"

"...Yes?"

"For God's sake, Kid! Man up and give me a straight answer without sounding meek and timid! Do. You. Want. My. Help?" Cupid asked, articulating each and every word individually.

"Yes!"

"Good." The god grinned as his body started fading away in front of the wizard's eyes. "See you at the feast then, my friend. Don't be late."

Merlin groaned as Cupid vanished once again, leaving him all alone in the courtyard. Thunder crackled overhead as the clouds started turning a stormy grey. A few minutes later, freezing rain pelted down onto Camelot, soaking him through and through. He sighed as he started trekking back into the castle, mumbling beneath his breath.

"Tonight's going to be a disaster...I can just tell..."

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><p><strong><em>I'm rather amazed at how regularly I've been updating so far...I can promise you now that it won't last ;)<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys! I really appreciate it! :)_ xx

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><p>Cupid eyed the prince and the ward at the front from his current position at the back of the hall, handling a tray of wine as he posed as a servant. He then glanced at Gwen and Lancelot, each a considerable distance away from the other as they weaved their way in and out of the crowds. One look towards a charismatic and devilishly handsome young knight told him that he was Gwaine, another possible object of the Lady Morgana's affections. Or was it the other way around? He couldn't remember. It was too complicated.<p>

Another crack of thunder echoed around the hall, rivalling that of the loud symphonies the musicians were playing as nobles swung themselves around the dance floor, all obviously drunk or tipsy. Lightning illuminated the room for a few seconds, bringing out a ghostly pallor in almost everybody's skin.

Cupid sighed tiredly, still a bit put off by the revelation that servants were not allowed to drink while on the job. It wasn't like he was a servant! He was just...posing as one for the good of his client's friends. He would've reached out and taken a gulp of wine straightaway had it not been for Uther's penetrating gaze. It shook him to his very, now mortal, core.

A few hours later, when he was absolutely certain that nearly every noble and knight was definitely drunk, Cupid quickly pulled Merlin over to where he was standing.

"I do not appreciate being manhandled," Merlin hissed, adjusting his red scarf to fit comfortably around his neck. "What?"

"Cover me while I shoot my first arrow."

"Now?" The sorcerer asked, panic clearly rising within him.

"Yes, now! I'm not exactly going to stab them while they're sleeping, am I?" Cupid snapped before stopping, a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, that's not half bad..."

"Yes, it is! It is half bad! It's very, very bad!"

"Merlin, please stop freaking out because you are sending very bad vibes towards me and I am very susceptible to bad vibes!"

"...Sorry," He muttered, cautiously looking around him to see if anyone was watching. "Who are you going to go for first?"

"Arthur. Since the Lady Morgana's standing directly in front of him, she'll be the first thing he sees," Cupid whispered from behind Merlin's back, efficiently nocking his bow.

"...Why Morgana? Why not Gwen?"

"Because, Merlin, if I hit Arthur near Gwen, who's going to be there for poor Lancelot?"

"Well...what about Gwaine?"

Cupid waved his hand absently.

"Gwaine's attraction to Lady Morgana was never really...real. It was purely physical. He'll find some other girl to really fall in love with. I'm not going to mess with him unless I really have to."

Merlin smiled appreciatively.

"That's actually quite thoughtful of you."

"See! All those stories about me not having a heart are false!"

"Well, hurry up and shoot before we both get thrown into the dungeons."

"Alright," Cupid muttered, surreptitiously raising his bow at the direction of the prince. The god of love steadied his hand before letting the arrow fly swiftly towards its target. The prince suddenly jerked as the arrow hit his skin and quickly disappeared from view as Morgana frowned, checking to see if he was alright.

"There done. We're one step closer to solving your problems, my friend," Cupid grinned at his handiwork as his bow vanished from sight too. Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't hit Arthur."

The mythical being sighed, rolling his eyes at the manservant.

"Yes, Merlin, I have."

"No, I was watching Arthur all that time and nothing landed on him."

"Well, you're not exactly going to see my arrow, are you? They're very quick."

"...I suppose so..."

"Good. See, Arthur's already only got eyes for Lady Morgana."

Merlin swept his gaze over the crowds as he searched for the woman. Upon spotting her, he glanced at the man in front and felt his insides slowly freeze into ice.

"Uh...that's not Arthur."

"Merlin! What did we just discu-"

"No, you idiot," Merlin snapped, his eyes wide with trepidation. "That person is not Arthur! Arthur has blond hair, remember?"

Cupid frowned, scanning his memory quickly in search for an image of the prince of Camelot before he took a sudden intake of breath, his eyes growing wider with every second.

"Then who's he?"

"That's Lancelot!"

"Oh shoot," Cupid hissed, his left eye suddenly twitching with anxiety, "this is bad, this is very, very bad!"

"Do you not know the difference between brown and blond hair?"

"It's the red cloaks! Everyone looks the same from behind wearing those damn red cloaks!"

Merlin watched nervously from afar as Lancelot interacted with Morgana. If he hadn't known about the truth, he would've said that the knight was still the same- if his eyes hadn't picked up the fact that Lancelot seemed to be blushing quite a lot or that his body was unusually near her's.

"Great going, Cupid!" Merlin mocked, sarcastically emphasizing his name.

"What?" The god growled, glaring at the wizard as he poked the servant with one finger for emphasis. "You were the one rushing me!"

"Can't you still fix this?"

"How?"

"...Hit him again!"

Cupid gave him a dirty look.

"Do you not remember my lecture? You know, the one with the whole obsessive, possessive thing?"

"Oh right...yeah."

"How about if I hit Morgana to love that guy and then Arthur and Gwen will be together!"

Merlin felt a sense of unease inside him.

"I don't know...Morgana and Lancelot have never really been attracted to each other...I don't want to take advantage of them or anything..."

"Good point," Cupid sighed before resuming his pacing. He suddenly clicked his fingers, a bright smile lighting his face.

"You've got an idea?"

"Uh huh. I'm going to go home and consult my books!"

Merlin blinked, his delighted look sliding off his face.

"That's your bright idea?"

"Well, I don't see you with a better one!"

"...Hurry up then!"

The god of love nodded quickly before slipping out of the hall as he reassuringly squeezed Merlin's shoulder. The sorcerer watched him sigh before noticing Arthur make his way towards Morgana and Lancelot. A few minutes later, the prince smoothly left the two, a grim look on his face that almost beat the real storm outside. Morgana followed him with her eyes, a smirk firmly fixed on her mouth. However, as soon as she realised that Arthur was heading towards Guinevere, she narrowed her green eyes, her mouth clamped shut into a tight line before determinedly turning back to Lancelot, throwing herself into a conversation with him. Merlin observed all this with a small groan.

He was starting to get a huge headache.

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><p><strong><em>:)<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

Morgana panted hard as she quickly shut the door behind her, leaning against it to catch her breath. Gwen looked up from her chores, startled at her mistress' abrupt entrance.

"My lady?"

The sorceress glanced at her in surprise, not having realised that there was another presence in her chambers. She forced a smile onto her face, composing herself quickly as she sat down on her bed.

"My lady, are you alright?"

"Please, it's Morgana, remember?"

"Alright...Morgana, is anything the matter?"

"Yes, actually, there is," She huffed, a look of annoyance flashing onto her face, "it's Arthur's stupid, stupid knights. One in particular, really."

Gwen smiled to herself, relieved that it was merely a trivial problem as she picked up the dresses that had been flung carelessly onto the floor behind the changing screen.

"Are they causing you trouble?"

The serving girl heard a snort from the other side of the screen as she went onto her tiptoes to reach a dress that had been hung over the rail.

"Loads. That idiotic knight won't stop following me around and professing his love for me. For all I care, he can keep his stupid love."

"Most women would enjoy attention like that."

"It was fun at first," Morgana admitted, a soft smile adorning her face. She glanced at her mirror and immediately scowled, "now it's just a big bother!"

"Maybe you ought to talk to Arthur," Gwen suggested as she came out from behind the screen. She then started her work on making Morgana's bed. Morgana stood by the window, looking out onto the courtyard as she thought about the idea.

"...I don't know whether Arthur would appreciate it..."

"Arthur will try his best to help you, my lady."

"He better otherwise I'm complaining to Uther about the lack of chivalry amongst his ridiculous knights."

"Arthur will be furious!"

"Oh, I hope so."

Gwen giggled, a cheerful smile on her face. She made her way over to the door as a sudden knock interrupted their laughter, opening it to greet the visitor. The maidservant frowned when she saw no one, leaning forwards and looking both ways. She was about to close the door when something bright and colourful caught her eye from the floor. A bouquet of different flowers.

Guinevere picked it up hesitantly, once again checking the hallway to see if anyone was there. When she saw no one, she brought the flowers into the chambers to show her mistress. With one look, Morgana dismissed them tiredly, her face unamused.

"Are you sure you don't want them, Morgana? They're quite lovely."

The sorceress glanced at the bouquet once again before quickly rushing towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Arthur and stop this nonsense right this minute," She snapped before disappearing through the doors. Gwen stared after her with her eyebrows raised. She had absolutely no idea why so much fuss was being raised over a bouquet of delightful flowers. In her opinion, she wouldn't have minded getting some from a rather handsome prince...not that it was in her place to demand any.

Gwen sniffed the flowers, a heavenly sigh escaping from her mouth. She picked up a small card that had been placed on the side, a certain level of unease invading her stomach for unknown reasons as she scanned the note:

_To my dearest, loveliest, Lady Morgana,_

_Please accept these flowers as a small token of my love for you, my dear._

_Yours forever,_

_Lancelot xx_

Gwen froze, her breath caught in her throat as she read the name of the sender over and over again in her mind. Lancelot? Her Lancelot?

"Bu-but...how?" She whispered to herself, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She'd been a fool to think that, not only had a prince fallen in love with her, but a knight had too. A respectable, loveable, chivalrous knight...she'd never felt so special in her whole life. And now...this...had he ever really loved her or had it just been a game for him, a distraction, while he chased after her mistress?

Guinevere stared at the note one more time before ripping it up into shreds and throwing into the fireplace, her heart beating furiously inside of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself, resting the laundry basket against her hip as she exited the chambers. She couldn't think about this now, she had a job to do. And, if she saw Lancelot again, then she'd have a small chat to him about this. A honest chat. It was the least she deserved. With a forced smile, Gwen made her way towards the laundry rooms.

For the rest of the day, she couldn't shake off that particular feeling of heartbreak.

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><p>Morgana fumed, stewing her anger as she stormed down the hallway that lead to Arthur's chambers. The sound of her heels against the floor echoed around her as she glared at anyone who dared even look at her.<p>

She took a deep breath before slamming the door open, startling the two men inside the room. Arthur glared at her furiously from his spot near the window.

"What do you think you're doing, Morgana?"

Morgana ignored him, looking instead at the manservant.

"Merlin, leave us."

"He's my servant! He doesn't go unless I tell him to, Merlin stay."

"Go, Merlin."

"Stay!"

Merlin glanced between the two nobles, confused about who to listen to. Morgana and Arthur glowered at each other then at the manservant.

"Leave!"

"Stay!"

"Is that Gaius I hear calling me?" Merlin called out, his ears straining towards the door. Arthur rolled his eyes and threw a nearby goblet at his head. The servant expertly ducked before shutting the door firmly behind him.

"I'm guessing you have a reason for rudely coming in here and taking control over my servant," The prince sighed as he raised an eyebrow at Morgana. She narrowed her eyes at him as she approached his position by the window.

"Do you have no control over your knights whatsoever?"

"Really? A lecture?"

"Arthur Pendragon, answer my question!"

"Morgana, I've already got a headache. I don't need you adding to that too," Arthur grumbled, turning away from the window to face her. He glanced at her annoyed expression, a frown marring his face. "I can't have made you this angry already..."

"It's not you," She sighed, sitting on his extravagant bed. "It's Lancelot."

"Lancelot?"

"He seems to have some sort of...affection for me."

Arthur tensed, his jaw locking without him even realising it.

"And you?"

Morgana snorted at the question.

"If I did, would I be coming to you for help?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Could you possibly...warn him off me?"

Arthur smirked at her, leaving his place by the window to lean against his chest of bedside drawers.

"I'd have thought you'd be delighted with the attention; Lancelot's easy on the eyes, has great manners, is chivalrous, charming, blah, blah, blah."

"You know, if you don't want to help-" Morgana snapped, suddenly sitting up and striding towards the door. Arthur quickly caught up with her, enclosing her delicate wrist around his calloused hand to stop her from leaving.

"I'm sorry," He murmured. "I didn't...I don't understand why you want to get rid of him..."

Morgana cringed, her stomach knotting up at the prospect of having to tell him the real reason why she didn't want Lancelot's love. He'd probably laugh at her, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

"He just isn't my...type..."

"...And who is?"

The sorceress was more that sure that she was going to throw up at any minute now with his close proximity and his amazingly suffocating scent. She glanced up at his blue, concerned eyes, a faint blush spreading onto her cheeks. Morgana quickly cleared her throat and stepped back, whisking her wrist away from his touch. Hurt flashed onto his face for a second before it was replaced with a mask of impassivity.

"Could you just...do it?"

Arthur nodded and watched as Morgana left his chambers. He sighed to himself.

"Idiot..."

* * *

><p>Merlin rolled his aching shoulders as he finished his dinner and murmured a tired excuse to Gaius, yawning as he made his way towards his room. He collapsed onto his bed, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier with a longing for sleep. He shifted around for a bit to get comfortable before slowly drifting off. One hand snuck its way under his pillow and-<p>

Merlin frowned as his hand grasped something thin but pointy. He lifted his pillow up and raised both of his eyebrows in surprise at the single arrow that lay there, alongside a note with scrawled handwriting.

He picked up the note and quickly read it through, his face falling with every word:

_Merlin,_

_Couldn't find anything to help. Giving you one of my arrows to hit the lady Morgana with to get her to fall in love with Lancelot. It seems that's the only thing we can do to try to solve this problem. _

_Sorry._

_Cupid. _

_P.S Break it and I'm not giving you another one._

"So much for helping," Merlin muttered, scrunching the note up in his fist. He picked up the single love arrow and inspected it wearily before placing it under his bed. "Looks like its up to me...again."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thanks for all the great reviews and support, guys! Any writer will tell you that reviews really do help encourage them to carry on with the story. <em>**

**_Once again, thank you! :) xx_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sorry about the long wait, guys, but with school work and exams piling up...well, you know...**_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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><p><em>Tap<em>._ Tap_. _Tap_.

The sound of his foot constantly hitting the stone floor reverberated around the cold room as Merlin sat on his bed, his gaze unwavering from the lone arrow on his desk, placed far away from any other item in his room. Merlin let out an exasperated sigh as he ran his hands through his hair in an attempt to keep himself calm. He couldn't help wondering what on _earth_ was going through Cupid's mind when he decided to thrust that stupid arrow into his hands-probably the most clumsiest pair of hands in the entire castle, as well!

Merlin really wouldn't put it past himself to accidentally shoot an unfortunate soul into falling in love with _mud_.

"Merlin! Aren't you up yet?"

The young wizard jumped up from his bed, teeth biting ferociously at his lower lip from his indecision.

"Uh...I'm up, Gaius! I'll be out in a...second..."

Merlin grabbed a stray blanket and carefully wrapped it around the wretched arrow, making sure it didn't touch his own bare skin.

"Merlin, hurry up!"

"Coming!"

His eyes flickered around the room hurriedly, searching for a place to hide it, before coming to the decision that, if he left it in his room, Gaius would find out and then he'd be in a whole new level of trouble.

A whole new _worse_ level of trouble.

* * *

><p>"Ah, finally!" Gaius said, turning away from his books as he heard the door squeak open. He removed his spectacles and glanced at Merlin. "I thought you'd ne-" He blinked at the sight, hesitantly choosing to put his spectacles back on. "Merlin?"<p>

The wizard raised an eyebrow at him as he casually shouldered the rolled up blanket over his shoulder.

"I'm going to skip breakfast, alright?"

"What's in there?"

"Sorry?"

"The blanket," Gaius gestured, moving closer towards the article causing Merlin to quickly sidestep him. "What _are_ you up to, Merlin?"

"Me? Up to? What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"You're always up to something."

Merlin scowled but bit back a retort as he acknowledged it as being true. Come to think of it, he _was_ always up to something or other.

"You don't want to know about this something."

Gaius stared at his ward skeptically, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Will it hurt Arthur?"

"Depends."

"On what."

"My aim."

"Will it endanger the king?"

"Hopefully not."

"Hopefully?"

"...No, it won't."

"How about the kingdom?"

Merlin thought about it.

"...Well..."

"Just go, Merlin," Gaius sighed tiredly, returning to his books. Merlin opened his mouth to reply before choosing to slip out of the room instead. "Children, nowadays..."

* * *

><p>Merlin scurried down the corridor leading to Arthur's chambers as he clutched at his blanket tightly, offering a simple smile at any strange looks thrown his way. It wasn't as if he wanted to carry a arrow that could possibly turn life upside down in the castle if aimed at the wrong person; having magic was bad enough but this...<p>

"If Uther found out, he'd shoot me in the butt with the arrow himself and throw me into a pig pen before executing me," Merlin muttered as he rounded the corner, unknowingly running headfirst into Morgana. The wizard collided with the floor, losing hold of his blanket as he tried to stop his face from smashing into the stone.

"Merlin!" He scrambled painfully up before glancing, horrified, at the sprawled figure of the king's ward. Merlin quickly bent down to offer a hand. Morgana gladly took it as he pulled her up, straining a bit to do so.

"I am so sorry, Morgana."

"It's fine, really, Merlin," she replied, hastily brushing her dress down before smiling at the servant. "It was just a bit surprising, that's all."

"Again, sorry about that."

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Morgana asked as she watched Merlin grab a rolled up blanket that had fallen onto the floor. He glanced up at her before standing ram-rod straight.

"Me?"

"Yes, you, Merlin."

Merlin uncomfortably scratched the back of his neck as he hugged the blanket tighter to his chest.

"...Off to Arthur's. You know how he is, can't be late."

"When you see him, tell him I want to talk to him again," Morgana scowled at the thought of the prince. "Apparently, I wasn't clear enough about something in our last discussion."

"Will do. I've got to run. Bye!"

Amused, Morgana watched as Merlin practically sprinted down the corridor and out of her eyesight. She shook her head, a small laugh escaping her throat as she turned back towards her previous destination. Her foot took one step forward before a small crunch alerted her to something under her foot. She frowned before lifting her shoe and dress to get a proper look, causing her frown to deepen as she stared at the broken arrow.

"What on earth...?" Morgana muttered, picking up a half of the arrow in each hand. She glanced behind her again at the direction of Merlin's departure, wondering if she should call him to give it back. But she was out of his earshot so there was no way for her to do so. She looked down at the broken pieces again before continuing to walk towards her rooms.

She'd mend the arrow first.

* * *

><p>"Merlin! About time!" Arthur grumbled as he untangled himself from his bed sheets. Merlin rolled his eyes, throwing one of his shirts at him. The prince swiftly caught it and pulled it on as the wizard placed his blanket on one of the tables. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the item and his servant before choosing to ignore it as he headed behind his screen. A minute later, as Merlin was preparing breakfast, Arthur's head popped up from behind the screen, a puzzled expression on his face. "What's that?"<p>

"Hmm?"

"The blanket. Why are you carrying that around?"

"...It's cold outside."

"Don't be stupid, Merlin. It's boiling!" Arthur scoffed as he took his place at the table before pausing briefly, a grin edging its way onto his face. "Then again, being stupid really is the only thing you're fully capable of doing."

"Oh ha, ha, that was hilarious, Sire."

"I thought so."

Merlin glanced at the prince as he started eating his breakfast which mostly consisted of a lot of meat.

"I guess Cook was right."

"What are you prattling on about this time, _Mer_lin?"

"Cook suggested we...adjust your diet in order to keep you...'fighting fit'."

Arthur froze before slowly, almost comically, looking up to glare at the wizard.

"She _what_?"

"And everyone basically agreed with her so you enjoy that meal of your's, Sire," Merlin grinned, ignoring the look of horror on the prince. "It will probably be your last hearty one..."

"Does everyone think I'm..._fat_?"

"Yes."

"I am not fat!"

"I told them that, Sire. I said that it might just be the chain mail that's making you look fat since you do look a bit...snug in it," Merlin commented offhandedly, as he picked up various pieces of clothes from the floor. Arthur seethed at him before searching his vicinity for anything heavy. Finding nothing, he settled for a loaf of bread which he threw at the unsuspecting servant. Merlin yelped as it struck him on his back.

"You tell Cook I am perfectly healthy and not fat!"

"Very well, Sire. She was just trying to help you."

"Shut up, Merlin."

The wizard snickered to himself as the prince went back to his food before pushing it away, glancing confusedly at his stomach. After placing the clothes in the laundry pile, Merlin grabbed his blanket and opened it, his hand ready to hold it in order to inspect it carefully.

When he found nothing, his breath caught in his throat.

"This is bad," he whispered to himself, shaking the blanket out over the bed. When it became obvious there was nothing there, Merlin resorted to searching the floor and surrounding areas in case it had fallen out in the room. "This is very, very bad..."

"Merlin, what are you doing now!" Arthur sighed tiredly as he watched his servant's crouched position with his face extremely close to the floor.

"...Inspecting your room."

"Why would you-forget it," the prince announced. "You, Merlin, are impossible, you buffoon."

"Thanks, Sire," Merlin beamed sarcastically as he got off the floor. "Would you like your chain mail, Sire?"

Arthur paused, once again glancing subconsciously at his stomach and then at the offending piece of article on the bed.

"No, I'm good."

"Wouldn't want to give the wrong impression, right, Sire?" Merlin grinned cheekily.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur replied before striding out of his chambers, leaving the wizard alone with his thoughts.

Where had that stupid arrow fallen out? It wasn't in his room or in this room so where? Merlin groaned as he thought, once again, that Cupid had made a mistake when he'd given him that arrow. It spelled nothing but trouble.

Suddenly, Merlin was hit with a realisation. Morgana had collided with him in the corridor so it must have fallen out then! There was no other possible place!

With newfound hope, Merlin ran out of the room, praying desperately that Morgana had enough sense not to touch that damned arrow.

* * *

><p>Morgana yelled triumphantly as she finally managed to bind the broken arrow back together. Sure, it looked more than a little funny, but it was back in its original shape and that was all that mattered, right?<p>

She gathered the materials in her arms and placed them on the table, ready for Gwen to collect later on before picking the arrow up again. She turned it around slowly, inspecting it with a critical eye. A whiff of faint chocolate made its way to her nose, leaving her feeling blissful and completely calm.

She hadn't felt like that in years.

Morgana rose to tuck the arrow away until she could find Merlin at a later date but a sudden pinprick drew her away from her thoughts. She glanced down at her hand as she realised that arrow must have grazed it whilst she had been standing up.

Her head felt foggy and heavy, disorientating her sense of direction. The onslaught of nausea made her want to throw up.

She glanced back down at both of her hands as something niggled at the back of her mind. Where had the arrow gone? Had she dropped it on the floor? She would have looked but her head felt so, so heavy...

A knock sounded at the door and she must've said something because the door opened and a figure stood in the entrance.

"My lady, are you alright?"

Morgana smiled dreamily as something occurred to her, something she'd never actually thought about before. The figure in the doorway stepped closer, his heavy boots sending gentle vibrations around her room.

"I'm absolutely fine, Sir Gwaine. Perfect, in fact."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Again, so sorry about not having updated earlier. I'll try my best from now on but no promises.<em>**

**_I seriously hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter._**

**_See you next time! :)_**

**_P.S thanks for all the lovely review, folks! Means a lot to me!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey guys! Sorry for the late upload (I really am terrible with updating) but I was at a complete loss for ideas. But, hopefully, this extra long chapter will make up for it!**_

_**I really hope you enjoy it!**_

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><p>Morgana sighed happily as she glanced at the training fields across from her place under the cover of the castle, drinking in the perfect features of one knight in particular. Sure, she had noticed Gwaine's attractiveness many times before (you'd have to be blind not to) but she'd never felt any...pull towards him. And now? Now she could literally think of nothing but him. Him and his dazzling smile; him and his drool-worthy muscles; and him and his ridiculously perfect hair. Her sewing project-which had served as an excuse to come down and watch the knights train in the hazy sunshine-lay forgotten by her side as a dreamy smile rested on her lips, her eyes trained on a single knight.<p>

"My God, he is perfect," She whispered quietly, a longing sigh escaping her mouth as she watched him parry a blow thrown by one of the other knights.

"I know I am," a voice chuckled as someone sat down beside her, sweat glistening on his skin in the sunlight. She shot Arthur an annoyed look before turning back to the fields.

"Not you," Morgana dismissed swiftly, not once noticing the unreadable emotion that flashed through the prince's blue eyes before disappearing quickly.

"If not me, then who? God forbid you're talking about Merlin," Arthur snorted.

"Don't be so mean, Arthur," Morgana commented, shoving his arm playfully. "Merlin is really quite a sweetheart."

The prince of Camelot rolled his eyes at her description of his manservant.

"I think my ears are bleeding."

"Either way, no-one could ever beat Gwaine..." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders as if it were a common fact. Her companion frowned.

"Did I hear correctly? Gwaine?" Arthur sneered, stressing the knight's name as he said it. "Since when have you had a thing for Gwaine of all people?"

"Love can hit you in the most unlikeliest of times, Arthur," Morgana replied, moving forward to rest her chin against her palm.

"Love?"

"Yes, love. This complex and mature emotion that only people who don't go around sleeping with every girl they see experience," She shot back, giving him a pointed look as she did so causing him to growl quietly at her statement.

"I don't go around sleeping with every girl I see."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Evangeline, Mary, Sophia, Celia-" Morgana began, counting off each name on one of her slender fingers systematically. A small yelp forced its way past her lips as Arthur abruptly grabbed her hand, directing her shocked attention at him.

"I haven't slept with every girl I've seen," He stated quietly, the fire suddenly extinguished in his eyes. And, for some peculiar reason, Morgana felt her face heating up as a crimson red slowly stained her cheeks under his gaze. But, there was this dull, relentless pounding at the back of her head, reminding her of something extremely important.

Or, maybe, someone?

"Arthur!"

Ah, yes. Gwaine, Morgana swiftly pulled her hand away from Arthur's warm grasp, returning her focus back onto the handsome knight as a soft smile encompassed her face. Gwaine skidded to a stop in front of the pair, aware of both their intense gazes on him (both for very different reasons) as he pointed back to the training fields.

"The boys are finished with their initial drill, Arthur, and are waiting for you to lead them on to whatever's next," He stated, glancing strangely at Morgana who seemed to be sending him rather admiring looks.

"Very well," Arthur replied, standing up before quickly but determinedly brushing past him. Gwaine stared back at the prince's retreating form as his mind went over his unusual behaviour. Had he done something wrong?

"Don't worry about Arthur, Gwaine my love, he's just in a mood today."

Gwaine slowly nodded, comprehending her words, before he whirled around suddenly to face the grinning Lady Morgana.

"My love?"

"Why, yes! Isn't that what lovers call each other?"

He let out an amused laugh at her serious expression.

"I am flattered, my Lady, seeing as you and I are both exceedingly attractive but it would also be highly inappropriate, don't you think?"

Her eyebrows shot up at his comment.

"Inappropriate? Why? I love you!"

Gwaine blinked at her sudden and extremely unexpected profession of love.

"...Did Merlin put you up to this?"

"No! Everything I feel and do is for you, my dear," Morgana frowned, quickly wrapping her hands around Gwaine's neck. She raised an eyebrow as his posture immediately stiffened at her contact. "What's wrong?"

"My lady, this is wrong," Gwaine explained as he gently tried to push her off of him.

"Don't you love me?"

He shifted uncomfortably underneath her vice-like grip as his mind whirred with all the different but highly possible punishments being seen in compromising situation like this with the King's Ward would cause.

The very likely one, and the one in the forefront of his mind, being death.

"I-"

"Get your filthy hands off of her!"

Morgana screamed and pushed Gwaine out of the way just in time to dodge an attack from behind him. She looked behind her to see a sword lodged into the ground before glancing at the attacker.

"Lancelot? What on earth are you doing?"

Lancelot ignored her as he focused solely on the other dazed knight, swiftly grabbing him by his chainmail and pulling him up. Gwaine swallowed at the fury that seemed to be blazing in his eyes.

"How dare you touch her like that?"

"Lancelot, I was-"

"I will have you killed before you approach my love like that again!"

Gwaine frowned, a puzzled look drifting onto his face.

"My love? I swear, this place has finally gone m-" Gwaine was cut off by a furious yell from his attacker who promptly threw him into a nearby wall before drawing his sword from the ground. Gwaine quickly rolled out of the way of another attack before pulling his own sword out of its scabbard.

"Look, Lancelot, I really don't want to fight you but if you keep attacki-" Gwaine parried a blow with his sword before ducking and swiveling around to get behind his fellow knight who screamed with uncontrolled rage. The ring of the metal blades clashing against each other echoed sharply around the fields, attracting the attention of the other knights who were training there.

"Fight me, you buffoon! Fight! Me!"

"If you insist," Gwaine kicked his friend in the back of his knees causing the latter to stumble onto a crumpled heap on the floor, his sword landing a few metres away from him.

"What is going on here!" Arthur yelled, his eyes narrowed as he approached the trio and studied them; one of his knights lying on the floor, another breathing heavily as he towered over his comrade and the Lady Morgana cast off to the side looking half amused and half horrified at the spectacle. Arthur sighed before steeling himself up tiredly for the explanation.

"I have absolutely no idea," Gwaine offered after a short pause.

"He was embracing my Morgana!" Lancelot bit out, hands blindly grabbing for his sword. Arthur clenched his jaw before ordering another knight to confiscate swords from both him and Gwaine.

"'Your Morgana'?" Morgana lashed out, storming towards the group of men. "How dare you!"

"I was simply protecting you, my love."

"I am not your love! If anything, I am Gwaine's!"

"Again, will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Arthur snapped, feeling his sudden spike in anger increasing even more under the suffocating heat of the sun.

"Um, I might know..."

Everyone's heads swiveled around at the exact moment to face Merlin as he stood at the very back of the group, his shoulders stooped and a reluctant look in his eyes. If the atmosphere hadn't been so tense (and if Arthur's face hadn't been so thunderous), the scene would've been rather comical to an outside eye.

"What did you do?" Arthur snapped, his muscles tensed with one hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. Merlin, upon seeing his reaction, gulped.

"Well...I was really only trying to help..."

Gwaine exchanged a hesitant glance with Lancelot who, for the meantime, had calmed down though he was standing suspiciously close to Morgana who seemed to be inching closer to himself with every passing second.

"For the sake of my sanity, Merlin, please explain without making it too confusing," He said. Feeling a warm, feminine presence right next to his body as well as Arthur's cold glare boring into his head, he surreptitiously cleared his throat and edged away. "Right now, Merlin."

Merlin nervously rubbed the back of his neck, took a deep breath in and began.

"There's this being, Cupid and, you've got to understand, I really did just want to help..."

* * *

><p>"...the arrow must've accidentally hit Morgana somehow and-"<p>

"Seeing how I was the first person she saw, she became infatuated..." Gwaine murmured, ignoring the slight twinge in his gut when it became apparent that the Lady Morgana had fallen in love with him solely via magic. Merlin nodded.

"I really am sorry. I didn't mean for...everything to spiral out of control."

Arthur sat perfectly still on a barrel, staring at an unspecified location as he slowly processed the rather far-fetched story his manservant had just given him. His face stony, he continued to sit wordlessly. Morgana and Lancelot, on the other hand, seemed to be full of complaints.

"-dare you imply-"

"-my love for the Lady Morgana-"

"-that my feelings for Gwaine-"

"-are simply because of some arrow!"

They yelled, their cries of dissatisfaction merging together as their words soon became mangled in one another's until it became something akin to an incomprehensible babble of fury.

"You two, be quiet!" Gwaine hissed, his voice straining as he glanced around at the puzzled looks they were attracting. "You'll draw the whole castle to us otherwise and I don't think the King will be pleased to know that the people he has been housing have been playing with magic!"

"I really couldn't care a whit about the King, my dear, just as long as we're together," Morgana simpered, a delicate smile on her lips. Both her and Gwaine ignored the sneer sent towards them by the other knight.

"Arthur? You're strangely quiet," Merlin commented, redirecting his focus onto the silent prince. Arthur gave no reply. Even Morgana felt a twinge of worry for him.

"Arthur? Arthur Pendragon, I do believe you are sulking!"

The Prince of Camelot jerked back into focus, growling at the comment whilst Morgana grinned in satisfaction. He opened his mouth to snap out a particularly vicious response (partly to let out the great deal of anger he could feel building up inside of him) before thinking better of it and turning to Merlin instead.

"Well?"

Merlin blinked.

"Well what?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, his frustration quickly taking a hold of him.

"Well as in what the hell are we supposed to do to fix this?" He spat. "You're the genius who couldn't let well enough be so you had better have a solution for the damned mess you've created!"

Merlin felt a spark of rage light inside of him, spurred on by the fact that he had only been trying to help his friends. _W__hy couldn't anyone else see that?_

"It's not my fault! _You_ didn't seem to be able to take care of your_ own_ ridiculous love life so who did it fall to for everything to be fixed _yet again_? Me, that's who! Like it always is!" The sorcerer complained, his breath coming out in short, heavy pants as he began to pace. "You really don't seem to have any trouble giving everyone else blame but, when it comes to you and all the trouble you've caused, you seem to become rather hypocritical!"

Arthur snarled in rage, jumping to his feet as he drew his sword with a deafening sound, the light shining brilliantly off of the polished metal. He pointed the tip of it at his wide-eyed but resolute friend.

"You had better shut up this very moment, _Mer_lin, before I throw you into the dungeons!" He growled, a dangerous undercurrent to his tone.

"You-"

"Guys!"

Both turned around to face Gwaine as he stared back at them tiredly.

"I don't know about you but I've had enough of impromptu swordfights in the fields, thank you very much," He stated, looking pointedly at the drawn sword in Arthur's hands. With a quiet grumble, he sheathed it back again. "Good. Now that everyone has had their fun, I say we figure out a way to put everything right again."

"A waste of time, if you ask me, because there is nothing wrong in the first place," Morgana muttered, crossing her arms in a huff.

Arthur sighed before running a hand through his blond hair.

"You're right."

"Really?" Morgana asked, immediately perking up.

"No, I was talking to Gwaine," Arthur replied, the ends of his lips unwillingly quirking up into a small smile. "What do you suppose we do?" With this, he faced Merlin once again but with a far calmer disposition as he addressed his manservant. Upon seeing that the prince really meant no harm, Merlin stepped closer.

"I could always talk to Cupid again."

"No. That idiot has done enough damage," Arthur muttered, shielding his eyes against the bright sun.

"I'm sure the archive has some texts on this matter," Gwaine suggested, his eyebrows pulled together into a tight frown. Upon hearing this, both Arthur and Merlin raised their heads and, with one shared similar glance, they ran towards the castle. Gwaine stared at their retreating forms.

"Sometimes, I really don't know whether I love or hate this place," He commented lightly before looking back at the remaining two people. "Are you two coming or should I just leave you here?" He paused before reaching back and taking a firm grasp of both their wrists. "Just to be on the safe side, I think I'd better drag both of you along. God knows what kind of trouble you'd get mixed up in otherwise!"

Ignoring both of their protests ("I am not going to be manhandled by anyone!", "I can use my own two feet very well so I'd appreciate it if you let go!"), he dragged them both along at a steady pace down the corridors and towards the archive room.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Gwaine, about time you arrived," Arthur smirked, glancing up from the heavy book on the table. His eyes landed on the two struggling bodies next to him. "Good, you brought them along too."<p>

"We're here, now let go of me!" Morgana snapped, lightly slapping Gwaine's bare hand. Upon being freed, she rubbed her own wrist before pausing. She squinted painfully. "Why on earth does my head hurt so much?"

"Merlin, do you want to explain?" Arthur asked, looking back down at the book again.

"Not really..." Merlin coughed. If Arthur had reacted that strongly, then who knew how Morgana would act upon hearing it when the spell was over?

"Have you found anything?" Gwaine asked, releasing his hold on Lancelot's wrist and ignoring the dark look being shot at him.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Take a look at this."

He approached the pair surrounding a heavy tome, sneezing briefly due to the many dust particles near the area. He leaned in closer to the page.

"_The ziziphus lotus_," He recited before straightening up. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Read on."

Sighing, Gwaine did so. His eyes scanned the words the followed the image of a peculiar looking flower with bright purple petals and an orange stem. Upon finishing the paragraph detailing its effectiveness against love potions of any sorts, he glanced reluctantly up at Arthur.

"We're going to go looking for this plant, aren't we?"

Arthur nodded gravely in response.

"Fine. How soon?"

Arthur's gaze flickered to the window and the setting sun just beyond it and then to the two figures standing by the doorway, each lost in a world of their own.

"Tonight."

"Tonight?" Merlin and Gwaine echoed. With one look at the determination in Arthur's eyes, Gwaine stood up.

"Very well then. I'll start pack-"

"You're not coming with us."

He paused in his tracks, a confused expression settling onto his face.

"I'm not?"

"He's not?" Merlin asked, a similar look on his own face. Arthur shook his head.

"I need to bring Morgana along with me and I am not going to have her fawning all over you whilst I'm trying to save her life."

Almost immediately, a smile tugged on the edges of Merlin's lips as comprehension dawned on him whilst Gwaine could only manage to stare back at Arthur in bemusement.

"'Save her life'? She's only infatuated with me, Arthur! It's not as if it'll kill her."

"Either way, you are not going!" He ground out, a heavy tone to his words. Gwaine blinked before sighing in defeat.

"Fine."

"Good," Arthur nodded. "Anyway, I'll need someone here to look after the knights while I'm gone and you're the perfect man for the job. You'll also need to cover our disappearance to my father."

Gwaine laughed humorlessly.

"Oh, lying to the king! That will definitely be interesting."

"So, Arthur, who _is_ going with you?" Merlin inquired, the book closed and clutched tightly in his grasp.

"You, of course."

"Of course," He repeated tiredly. "And anyone else?"

Arthur thought about it.

"Gwen, Morgana will need a maid. And, I suppose, Lancelot. No matter how lovestruck that fool is, he does fight well and we do need to cure him too."

"Anyone else.?"

"No. I don't want to attract too much attention to the fact that we're missing. Unless you've managed to shoot anyone else you haven't told us about with those stupid arrows?" Arthur asked, one eyebrow raised in faint amusement.

Merlin shook his head sheepishly.

Arthur nodded and began heading towards the exit, grabbing a hold of Morgana's wrist as he approached her, much to her chagrin.

"Arthur, let go."

"I'm escorting you to your rooms, my lady."

"Escorti-"

"To ensure you don't sneak off to anywhere you're not supposed to be," He muttered, glancing behind him at Gwaine. Morgana huffed but complied nonetheless.

"So, we're leaving tonight, right?" Merlin asked as he followed Arthur towards the corridor.

"Yes, Merlin."

"And where exactly is this flower located?"

Arthur paused, his head cocked to the side before turning around and shrugging.

"I suppose we'll find out somewhere along the way. After all," Arthur flashed him a quick smirk, "that is part of the adventure!"

Merlin sighed, watching as he took Morgana along with Gwaine and Lancelot walking behind them without a single glance to the other. He looked around the room one last time before walking reluctantly towards the door.

"Part of the adventure," He mumbled. "Oh, joy."

* * *

><p><strong><em>And that's chapter 7 done, n number to go! :)<em>**

**_Thanks for all the lovely reviews folks, I'm glad to see you're enjoying this story. With my updating scheme, you're going to have to bear with me since I'm not exactly all that frequent unless inspiration strikes me. _**

**_That's why, with this Narnia story I'm currently writing, I'm trying to finish all my chapters before I post them but it's such a long process! Hopefully, I'll get it done though._**

**_Can I just say, I cannot wait until October 6th because (apparently) that's when the Season 5 of Merlin is coming out! At long last! I can't wait!_**

**_Until next chapter (or if I post another story ahead of that time!)._**

**_(And Christmas is coming soon! So excited! I'm already listening to Christmas songs! :P)_**


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